


Signs Along The Way

by VeriLee



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Universe, Chapter/Drabble 3 Contains Implied Major Character Death, Drabbles, F/M, Ficlets, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Tumblr Prompt, oneshots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-10-01 04:22:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 2,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17237351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeriLee/pseuds/VeriLee
Summary: "What if there was only one choice and all the other ones were wrong? And there were signs along the way to pay attention to?""And all the... choices would then lead to this very moment."---A collection of unconnected Reylo drabbles, ficlets, and oneshots that feel a bit short to post separately. Mostly written in response to tumblr prompts. The above quote is from X-Files, because the right choice will always lead to Reylo. :)





	1. Rey's Garden - Post EpIX Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of these are fairly fluffy, but I will post additional info and warnings at the start of each chapter on drabbles/ficlets that need warnings.

 

* * *

 

 

As a child, Ben had been dragged from one state dinner or formal gala to another, as bored and restless by the pomp and circumstance as his father. He’d toured the palaces of standing monarchs and visited manors that had once been under imperial or Jedi ownership and were later converted to government offices for the New Republic.

At all of these regal houses were grand and perfectly manicured gardens; some were parks unto themselves. They were lovely - every bloom on every bush was perfect, the grass neat and even, not a single weed to be found.

None of them held a candle to the garden behind Ben and Rey’s cozy home.

After the war was over, after the turmoil, all the loss, Rey had turned to him, her eyes tired and longing.

“Let’s go away, Ben,” she’d whispered. She had called him by his given name from the moment he’d shown up at a Resistance base, defending him against the rebels who didn’t believe his defection was real, no matter how much intel he came bearing.

“I’ll take you home,” he’d promised, though he couldn’t know then where home would be.

It had taken some finagling, not everyone was so ready to forgive his crimes. But after a fair amount of persuasion on the part of Ben’s mother, he was able to make good on his promise. He took Rey to a planet he’d visited once while under Luke’s tutelage, somewhat remote, but not uninhibited. He never wanted Rey to feel alone and cutoff again, but they both needed some peace.

Rey and Ben had set to work transforming the small house they found into a home.

Rey put most of her effort into the yard. She had collected seeds from every planet she’d visited throughout the war, and now she cultivated an exotic garden: a messy, wild, vibrant collage of color and leaves and vines and blooms.

She’d planted rough, thorny bushes and soft delicate flowers, hearty root vegetables and fragrant berries. It wasn’t the biggest garden but it _exuded_ life and energy.

Once, when Finn and Rose had visited them (visited Rey, really. No matter how kind they’d been - at some point after his defection, Ben had developed a slight sense of connection with this man he’d once called traitor, but it was always a little uneasy - Ben knew they were _here_ for her), Finn had questioned a plant that was a particular favorite of Rey’s.

It had a prickly stalk and the bloom, though pretty (silky petals in shades of blue and purple) was small.

“Isn’t it just a weed, Rey?” he’d asked, not rude, merely confused.

“That’s a matter of opinion, isn’t it?” Rey had responded. “It’s a plant that no one likes and they try to stomp it out, but still it survives. I like plants like that.”

Ben had watched the exchange silently and his heart swelled. He knew Rey wasn’t speaking only about the little flower. He was filled again with sadness for the childhood Rey had known but that feeling was overwhelmed with pride for how she had always, always managed to survive.

From that day on, Ben too, had a special appreciation for the plants that other people dismissed as “just weeds.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was first posted for "nature" day during Reylove Week in July 2018 on tumblr. I love the idea of Rey gardening, but her style isn't perfect and curated - it's messy and vibrant and full of love and life.


	2. A Fool for Loving Me - Modern Crime AU - Five Sentence Fic

 

“You’re a fool for loving me.” Ben smiles over at Rey then turns his focus back to the road in front of him and presses the gas pedal down just a  little more.

They’d crossed three states in just two days and this little “road trip” isn’t over yet; you don’t off a major crime lord - and your boss - and then just hang around to see where the chips might fall. Starting over with a new life is more than a desire - it’s a necessity.

But with a bag of money ( _dirty money_ , but Rey can’t be too bothered about the thought of ripping off the crime syndicate Snoke left behind), an ugly but fast car bought from a shady guy on Craigslist, and a dream of a future where they’re both finally free, Rey is nothing if not optimistic.

“Yes, we’ve established that, but I guess we’ll just have to be fools together,” Rey replies, an unshakeable grin lighting up her entire face.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @reylocalligraphy said "You're a fool for loving me," for a 'send the first sentence, I'll write the next five' prompt. Here is the non-angsty response to that prompt. :)


	3. A Fool For Loving Me - Canonverse - Implied Character Death - Five Sentence Fic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be aware that this drabble contains **Implied Major Character Death**
> 
> Please skip to the next drabble if that's a subject or theme you wish to avoid.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“You’re a fool for loving me.” Rey’s voice cracked on the words, as she stared down at Ben, forced to his knees and shackled with Force-muffling cuffs and a collar.

He’d come, as Rey knew he would - as Poe and the entire Resistance knew he would - when their Bond had been discovered and Rey had been named as a traitor, threatened with imprisonment - or worse. Rey had vehemently opposed the dirty plan but Poe refused to throw away the opportunity to lure the Supreme Leader once he discovered his weakness.

“Rey, loving you was the only thing I ever got right,” Ben replied, passion in his eyes, even now.

And he’d be killed for that love; it would kill her too, if not in body, at least in spirit.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the angsty, canonverse response to @reylocalligraphy's first sentence prompt.


	4. Chandrilla Abbey - Short Downton Abbey Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically, there is implied cousin incest in this drabble, but it is of the "distantly related a la Downton Abbey" variety. Still, just want to mention that upfront so you can skip this drabble if you prefer.

 

She was paired with him for the hunt.

Just as she had been seated by him at every dinner, as she had been encouraged to sit next to him at church service, and as she had been pressed to accompany him on a tour of the grounds.

The grounds of the absurdly extravagant estate that everyone expected her to one day make her home. Rey’s grandmother – and guardian after her parents’ untimely deaths – could not make her meddlesome matchmaking attempts more obvious. Worse yet, Lady Solo had been conspiring right along with her.

“You needn’t pay any attention to their ploy,” Rey told Ben, as they watched for grouse. “I don’t intend to be pushed into marriage just because your estate is under financial strain.”

“It might surprise you,” Ben lowered his gun and turned back from watching the skies, “but I’m not terribly interested in being told to marry a woman chasing a title simply to get my hands on her pocketbook, myself.”

Rey gasped indignantly. “I am _not_ chasing a title. I have a home and a solid living. My grandfather had the will drawn up to ensure that I’ll inherit outright. I don’t have any desire to play your society games. Lay the blame for _that_ at the feet of your mother and my grandmother!”

Ben met Rey’s eyes and smiled at her fiery outburst. “Well then, I suppose we’ll just have to disappoint the both of them.”

In spite of herself, Rey faltered a moment. This was probably the first time since her arrival at Chandrilla Abbey that she’d seen a genuine smile on his face. “I suppose we will.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Benjamin Solo, future Earl of Ren, has an estate but the family fortune has dwindled. Reyanne Kenobi, a distant cousin, has a sizable inheritance due to her grandfather’s keen business ventures. Their respective families think that a marriage between them would be the perfect union of status and finances. Rey and Ben don’t agree...or do they?
> 
> \---
> 
> This was a little drabble and moodboard I came up with for Reylo Au Week on tumblr. And yes, I realize I spelled Chandrila wrong. But I didn't want to bother to change the moodboard. :)


	5. Bookshop and Eavesdropping - Short Trope Mashup Drabble

 

The first time that Ben Solo enters the little bookstore down the street from his office building, it’s to avoid an annoying coworker that left work at the same time as him. But in his haste to dart out of sight, he crashes right into the display at the front of the store, causing a big mess and a bigger racket and earning himself a glare from the pretty brunette shopkeeper. It’s not _love_ _at first sight_ but he’s flustered at first glance and smitten from the moment she orders him to clean up the mess he caused and then offers him a cookie from the bag she was snacking on at the register.

From then on, he comes in once a week to buy books he rarely ends up reading, just to have an excuse to see her. He asks for an occasional book recommendation and learns her name - Rey - from her name tag, but mostly he’s just silent and awkward when he goes in.

But one day he comes in with a friend (or rather, the coworker he hates the least and ends up socializing with most by default) in tow. Hux keeps not-so-quietly whispering about Ben’s silly little crush and how he should just _do_ something about it already or move on, _but for the love of god, stop mooning over her like a schoolboy_. Ben tells him to shut up even as the telltale blush creeps across his face. He glances around, thankful that Rey is nowhere in sight. What he doesn’t realize is that she’s one aisle over, shelving books.…

When he finally gets home that night and pulls his most recent book purchase from the bag, a folded up note flutters out from between the pages and falls to the floor. Perplexed, Ben picks it up and opens it up to find a hastily scribbled phone number and a cheeky little message that _if he really wants to shut that obnoxious ginger up, he_ should _go ahead and give her a call._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mrsvioletwrites prompted Bookshop x Accidental Eavesdropping for a trope mashup game on tumblr. So, it's less a complete fic and more the framework of a story, but I wanted to share it.


	6. I'll Come Back For You - Ben Feels Rey's Pain Through The Force - Pre-TFA - Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This drabble contains reference to Rey's canonical childhood abandonment by her parents.

 

* * *

 

 

A shrill cry pierced the night, waking Ben from a deep slumber. He had been sleeping well, a rare thing. The Shadow inside that was always tugging on him was quiet, as if it was sleeping too.

Ben sat up, looked through the window towards the rest of the Academy. No light or movement anywhere, save the dim glow of the distant moons. He strained to listen for more cries, the sound of a disturbance.

Nothing.

It had been the remnant of a dream, the end of a nightmare that didn’t quite reach his consciousness.

Although he couldn’t recall the visuals of the dream, he knew it had been a painful one. As Ben laid back down, tried to will himself back to sleep, the feelings of helplessness, abandonment, washed over him. The cutting pain of worthlessness that had flooded him when his mother told him she was sending him away rushed through him, startlingly fresh, and acute, and the panic at being parted from his family, too. Embarrassingly, tears sprang to his eyes.

_Where did that come from?_ Ben nearly growled to himself, blinking them back. He hadn’t shed tears over his parents in years. He refused to now.

But try as he might, he couldn’t will away the traitorous sadness and longing he felt. Briefly, he allowed himself to consider the words that had acted as comfort object when he was young. Whenever his father had gone away – whether on business or just…itching to run. Whenever his mother patted his head and then placed him in LC’s cold, metallic arms. And again, when his parents had sent him to stay with Uncle Luke. The words he used to repeat whenever he was lonely or scared as a child.

Tonight he let himself whisper the words just once, to soothe himself, before drifting back to sleep. _“Stay here. I’ll come back for you sweetheart. I promise.”_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little drabble I came up with, imagining that Ben and Rey might have felt each other through the forcebond in vague, little flashes here and there, before the events of TFA and Snoke's meddling worked to expand the scope of the bond. 
> 
> The concept is that Ben felt when Rey was handed over to Plutt, when she cried out for her parents to not leave her, but of course, he couldn't fathom where the sudden feeling came from, and assumed it was some nightmare. I think the books have established that the "I'll come back for you" line was a false memory Rey made up, but for this drabble, we're assuming it was something she heard from Ben, though unintentionally.


	7. Growth - Canonverse drabble - Pregnancy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short, unedited drabble for Reylo Week 2019, day 1: Growth.
> 
> Includes pregnancy.

 

* * *

 

 

First Rey grew thicker; soft flesh padding her hips and stomach as she left a lifetime of want, hunger behind. She didn't panic at the weight like some, who’d grown up with the luxury of going to sleep with a satisfied belly every night.

 

Ben reveled in it - the feel of her soft flesh, yielding under his touch, the knowledge that his scavenger would no longer go hungry.

 

But this, _this_ he loved most of all. When she grew round with _their_ child; a physical manifestation of their love that would never know the hunger _either_ of them had lived.

 

 

 


	8. Role Reversal - Canonverse AU drabble

 

* * *

 

 

 

Ben had heard of the force, even seen it used on the rare occasions he’d visited his uncle.

 

Watching Uncle Luke teach adolescents to spar with low-powered lightsabers was a far cry from experiencing  _ this. _

 

The female figure, lithe but firm, clad head to toe in black and adorned with gauzy sashes circles him, like a vulture circling its prey. Ben is helpless to move but she isn’t even breaking a sweat. 

 

She tilts her masked head, and though he can’t see her face, Ben recognizes curiosity in her approach, her outstretched hand.

 

“We have what we need,” she whispers to herself, and the soft wonder in her voice is so surprising he might have fallen over, had he not been frozen in place.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day two of Reylo Week 2019, theme: Role Reversal. Another unedited drabble


	9. Grief - Modern AU Drabble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another unedited Reylo Week drabble. Day 4 - Grief.
> 
> Includes character death (Leia)

 

* * *

 

It was sunny, as if the world was mocking his pain. The rays of the afternoon sun struck the rows of shiny, marble gravestones, reflecting a harsh and blinding glare into his eyes.

 

Ben wasn’t crying. Not anymore, though his eyes were red-rimmed and puffy from last night, though more from the tears he had shed or the whiskey he’d drowned his pain in - like father, like son - he couldn’t be sure.

 

Amilyn spoke softly, the words he should have shared, if his throat weren’t so closed up. She spoke of the impact Leia had had, on every life lucky enough to touch her own.

 

But all Ben could think of were the last several years - everytime he ignored his mother’s calls or the worry in her eyes, every time he ran back to his boss like an obedient dog, every missed holiday.

 

His heart clenched and he would have cried if he weren’t dried out, empty inside.

 

A warm hand slipped into his own and Ben turned to gaze at the one thing brighter than the sun today, and the one person that would help pull him through his grief. Eventually.

 

 


End file.
